Bounties & Fortunes

CAPTAINS LOG 4

Where the past gives over to the future

We are back from Lark’s Folly. It was not an easy venture, short as it may have been. En route to Borlin’s, I saw Forester, the assassin who let Athven and Audrey go free in his memory. Though the rest hurried to Borlin’s, I followed him. And… it’s a bit odd to say this, but… we sat and had a drink.

He told me he was not there for Athven and Audrey. He seemed… genuinely interested that they were well. He said he had two marks. I worried it was Cornelius and Cordelia.

It was not.

We were attacked by assassins after picking up our three… bounty hunters, actually. One of them was a mage. On them were bounties for Cordelia, Athven, and Audrey._

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We were aided in our fight by a surprising source – Forester. After he helped us win the fight, he spoke to Athven (as well as Feregh and Tocca), and then… removed a necklace… and died. It seemed he was kept alive by magical means. I sat with Audrey while they buried him.

We returned to the ship in relative silence, and I went to my quarters, changing into clothing that wasn’t quite so… destroyed. I am lucky there are people on this ship that are skilled at mending things.

Athven joined me soon after. He looked more troubled than usual, and said he wanted to talk with me. He recounted his fears and worries, and told me that he didn’t know how to protect Audrey. I… reassured him, I think. That a life trapped on an island under the protection of Croquillo is an emergency option, but that she deserved her freedom. And that… if he was gone, she would miss him terribly. I would too, but I only alluded to that.

He seemed so… I’m not sure. He rested his forehead against mine again and I just… I wanted to hold him close. Tell him that everything would be okay.

The truth is, I don’t know. But I do know that I’ll protect them both. Whatever they are to me, at the very least, they are my crew. I don’t take that lightly.

He fell asleep soon after our discussion- I finally got him out of those awful, bloody pants. I’m going to have one of my shirts and trousers tailored for him. Anything we can do to change his appearance from what was on that poster.

The truth is… I’m sure those three aren’t the only people on my crew that someone wants dead. I might even find myself a target some day. As long as we keep moving, stay strong… we’ll be all right. I can hope for that, at the least.

I suppose I should tell everyone that we are leaving as soon as possible tomorrow morning. As long as we’re restocked and ready, we shouldn’t stay here. We’ve already been found once.